Monthly Archives: September 2012

I have been quite busy over the last week so today’s post is more of a round-up of interesting articles.

I was reading Philip Elmer-DeWitt’s Apple 2.0 blog the other day and I feel he offered the best explanation to why Apple pulled the plug on Google maps. I think more interesting is Apple’s C-suite of old is more to blame than Apple’s C-Suite of new. Why didn’t this happen with iPhone 3Gs or iPhone 4G?

On another topic, we often talk about when markets switch from pure growth and shift to a mature marketplace that is zero-sum. This link, also from Apple 2.0, adds to the growing evidence that the smartphone marketplace is getting closer to becoming mature.

In the eyes of Apple zealots, it seemed if yesterday would never come; the day when we would finally see the iPhone 5. Well, it finally arrived and to my surprise is was EXACTLY as expected – more on that in a moment.

In general, everyone was pleased with the specs and the press coverage. One journalist has even called it the new “gold standard” for smartphones. Here’s a round up:

Back to my earlier comment, what was missing from yesterday’s keynote was “surprise.” Pretty much everything – at least all the major specs – were strategically leaked to the press well in advance. The only real surprise, other than a incredibly improved iPod touch, is the rapid and aggressive rollout of this new phone – Apple’s biggest launch in the history of the company.

What makes yesterday so surprising was that in more than one interview earlier this year, CEO Tim Cook said Apple was going to “double-down” on secrecy. If yesterday is the “new normal” then where was the “doubling down?”

Only a few possible explanations can explain Apple’s new-found opening up: (1) CEO Tim Cook is moving away from Steve Jobs-like secrecy and the “doubling down” is nothing but lip service, (2) iPhone 5 is “too big to fail” as a percentage of Apple’s overall revenues and Mr. Cook is risk-adverse, or (3) Mr. Cook is very, very, very concerned with competition and all the leaks to the press were more to the other players in this sandbox. Not that I believe any of these three are mutually exclusive but nonetheless, how Apple behaves with new product launches is something to follow in the coming months. Next up…something in October.

When I was leaving class last night from Seton Hall University’s South Orange, NJ campus, I saw a very bright vertical light that was not moving. A few seconds in to wondering what the light was, I realized it was emanating from lower Manhattan.

On this day, keep all the families who were affected by 9/11 in your thoughts.

Journalist Michael McDermott contacted me awhile back to discuss the wild, wild, west world of social media. He was putting together an article for Comcast employees that would be associated with Inc.com.

I thought he did a fine job examining the multiple perspectives of social media including emphasizing the two-way nature as well as stressing metrics. No surprise to the DigNuggetville readers that I highlighted a bottom-up perspective as I have in many presentations.

This is a good one to forward along to co-workers who are get getting their feet wet in this cloudy pool we call social media.